Glaciers, glacial lakes and glacial lake outburst floods in the Mount Everest region, Nepal

摘要

Recent climate changes have had a significant impact on the high-mountain glacialenvironment. Rapid melting of glaciers has resulted in the formation and expansion of moraine-dammedlakes, creating a potential danger from glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Most lakes have formedduring the second half of the 20th century. Glaciers in the Mount Everest (Sagamartha) region, Nepal,are retreating at an average rate of 10-59 m a~(-1).From 1976 to 2000, Lumding and Imja Glaciersretreated 42 and 34 m a~(-1),respectively, a rate that increased to 74 m a~(-1)for both glaciers from 2000 to2007. During the past decade, Himalayan glaciers have generally been shrinking and retreating fasterwhile moraine-dammed lakes have been proliferating. Although the number of lakes above 3500 m a.s.l.has decreased, the overall area of moraine-dammed lakes is increasing. Understanding the behaviour ofglaciers and glacial lakes is a vital aspect of GLOF disaster management.